This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

SAT or ACT? Good Question!

I recently read an article that sang the praises of a young man who scored perfect 36 on his ACT college entrance exam. Jon Whitmore, CEO of Act, reports less than one-half of 1 percent achieve a perfect score. The Reading MA Junior most likely will have his pick of any college he would like to attend. It also put him in line for awards and scholarships. He’s set. How about you or your student?

Many students and parents feel overwhelmed and wonder what the ACT is and what the difference is between the ACT and the SAT. Although both exams are different, they carry the same influence when applying to a college or university. Both are designed to give colleges a common criterion that can be used to compare applicants. Here is a quick summary to get you started.

ACT: This test has four sections, English, Reading, Math and Science, as well as an optional 30 minute writing test (most schools require this). The scoring goes from 1 – 36 for each section, except the writing which is scored 1-12. A composite score is the average of the four main sections (excluding writing) for the overall score. The national average score is 21. The test is given 6 times a year and takes about 3 hours to complete or 3-1/2 hours including the writing.

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

SAT: This test has three sections Math, Critical Thinking and Writing. The writing section requires test takers to complete an essay that is factored into the final score. Each section receives a score between 200 – 800 making a perfect score 2400. The average scores nationally are Math 516, Critical Reading 501 and Writing 492. The test is given 7 times a year and takes 3 -3/4 hours to complete.

Now your question might be: which test should I take? That is not an easy question and might require some work to determine the answer. It’s really about the numbers and which test fits your style and collegiate goals. There are some main differences between the tests that you should know.

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

ACT questions tend to be more direct and clear, where SAT questions might require you to read them a few times to fully grasp. In other words – the ACT is more strictly comprehension focused and the SAT is testing more critical thinking skills.

SAT has a stronger emphasis on vocabulary, so if your goal is to be a writer or English teacher this might be the way to go.

ACT has a Science section SAT does not. If science is not a strong suit, it might be wise to take the SAT over the ACT.

ACT also has more advanced Math concepts. If Math and Science are your strong suit, you might want to take the ACT.

SAT requires a 25 minute written essay that factors into your Writing section score. On the ACT writing is optional, but many colleges require it. The school will see the writing score but it is not factored in to your total (composite) score.  If you have colleges in mind you can look on the school’s website or contact the admissions office to find out test requirements and what each school will accept.

SAT is broken into 10 sections with the written essay at the beginning and the content jumps back and forth between subjects. On the ACT you attack each content area one at a time, with the optional written section at the end. Here you need to decide if you like moving back and forth between areas or if it is better for you to focus on one subject at a time.

ACT is more of a “big picture” exam where admissions counselors will look at your composite score. With SAT they will be looking at each test section score. If you feel you are weak in one area but very strong in the others you can still score high enough to impress with the ACT composite score.

These test results along with GPA, letters of recommendation, interviews and personal essays are very important in determining if you can gain acceptance to all the schools you are looking at.

Now that you know this information, what is the next step? Preparation is crucial to obtaining your best score. College Tutors recommends that you take a practice test first. This will show your strong and weak areas and allow us to give you a personalized recommendation for preparing for the ACT or SAT test.

College Nannies and Tutors offer a FREE SAT and ACT practice test at our Learning Center located at 445 Washington St in Wellesley (across from Whole Foods). Along with the free tests we include a review and consultation to indentify strong areas and areas that need to be worked on. We also offer one-on-one tutoring from current and recent college students who have successfully scored in the 90th percentile or higher on both the SAT and ACT. These tutors will help with both the academic aspect and the stress that goes a long with the tests.  Call Ken Lazarus, Learning Center Director at 617-500-4455 or email klazarus@collegetutors.com if you have any questions or to arrange for a free practice test. Visit our web site at www.collegenanniesandtutors.com/wellesley

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?